Mikalai Statkevich: Enemies Of Moscow Become Lukashenka’s Enemies

Politicians who are personas non grata in Russia, immediately become “enemies” in Belarus as well.

On April 25, the Belarusian border guards did not let Member of the Supreme Council of Ukraine Igor Guz into Belarus, having stamped his passport with “entrance denied”.

People’s Deputy of Ukraine Igor Guz was driving to Belarus in his car to meet with the Belarusian activists, to participate in the press-conference on the theme “Belarus and Ukraine Facing Independence Lost Threat”, and to take part in the “Chernobyl Way” street action.

As Igor Guz has explained to Radio Svaboda, “the Belarusian border guards, in the presence of the KGB officers, stated they could not let me enter the territory of Belarus under the demand of the Russian Federation. That there was a paper confirming I was a persona non grata in the Russian Federation”.

Leader of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (People’s Assembly) Mikalai Statkevich believes that Belarus has attempted to introduce a common list of persons banned from entering and, correspondingly, leaving the countries, since long ago. Russia kept refusing as the Belarusian list was rather long, equal to the Russian one in length.

“However, Belarus managed to persuade Russia in the end. And now it turns out that Russia has many enemies. And Moscow’s enemies become our enemies. It’s like, what goes around, comes around.

Still, I think that the Belarusian authorities play cunning in the situation with Ukrainian MP Igor Guz. Guz had participated in the “Chernobyl Way” action before, he served an administrative detention in the Akrestsin Street detention center, he is a rather famous person in our country. He was planning to take part in this year’s “Chernobyl Way”. The authorities got scared that Igor Guz could raise the Belarusians’ interest to the action.

However, the problems with these common Russian – Belarusian lists will emerge inevitably. Russia has too many enemies, they have complicated their relations with Turkey. If Belarus thoroughly fulfills the international agreements with Russia, then, I repeat, all of Russia’s numerous enemies might become the enemies of Belarus”, – Mikalai Statkevich has said.